Friday, February 27, 2015

PICTURE PROMPTS: Chris Beatrice

Welcome to
PICTURE PROMPTS! This is my way of 'paying it forward' for all the
beautiful illustrations found in picture books all around the world. For
the next year you will see me visit with guest
illustrators, spotlighting their beautiful artwork and sharing their
answers to a few questions I thought my readers might want to know about
these illustrators. On the Friday when an illustrator hasn't stopped by
for a visit and a hot cup of green tea, I will put up a random PICTURE
PROMPT that has inspired me to write a little flash fiction to share
with you!

If
you are an illustrator, established or just starting out, and would
like to participate in my PICTURE PROMPT series, just shoot me an email
over to donasdays (at) gmail (dot) com and I will send you the
information on how to join the fun!

As long as I can remember whenever I would read stories I
would see them in my head, and I’d want to make those pictures!After running game development studios for
several years what made me want to do illustration professionally was probably
a bit of a backlash against managing large groups and large sums of money… it’s
nice to be able to do all the work myself and if I get behind I can just work a
little harder and catch up.

Where do you get your inspiration?

This really comes from the given subject (the story or
project I am working on) – and I am interested in a lot of different things. I
really like history, and quasi-science (or pseudo-science), so historical
settings tend to click well with me. I also like children’s stuff, because it
doesn’t take itself as seriously as, say, fantasy. With kids’ stuff it’s okay to
be silly. We know it’s silly, and that’s why we like it. A lot of classic
fantasy stuff is really silly as well, when you think about it, but I think
people can take it too seriously sometimes. When I’m just doing my own pictures
(which doesn’t happen very much anymore), I often draw inspiration from classic
fairy tales.

Do you have a favorite illustration of yours? Why is it
your favorite?

That’s a tough one!I
guess it’d be The Girl in the Iron Shoes. That picture will always have a
special place in my heart. I guess that’s true of a few pictures I did around
that time, right when I was learning how to paint digitally but not really
professional yet (so doing my own pictures mostly).

If you could invite five other illustrators (alive or
deceased) to dinner, who would you invite and why?

Howard Pyle because he is kind of the grandfather of
American illustration, and was a
really good teacher.Frank Frazetta
because his particular gift for composition and abstraction is something I
would really like to get some insights on.Leyendecker and maybe Rockwell because I think I could gain a lot from
understanding their thinking processes and working methods better, and probably
Greg Hildebrandt because his work has influenced me a lot.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve been heavily involved in the Maurice’s Valises series
for a couple of years now, so I’m working on the eighth book in that set, plus
some cards for American Greeting and a couple of book covers. I am also trying
to get started on my own story project, but not finding the time.

Do you work in different mediums? If so, which style is
the most challenging?

These days it’s pretty much just pencil for thumbnails and
sketches, then Photoshop for finished work.I do work in other physical media (oil, charcoal, pastels) as well as
digital media (3d studio), but not so much for professional work lately.I don’t particularly find any medium more
challenging – they all have their own challenges that you need to deal with.
For example, with physical media obviously one big challenge is there is a
consequence for every mark you make (or remove), which means you might need to
plan more, and you have to think before trying something that might not work. But
the flip side of that is I find myself much more aware and sensitive, in the
moment, with physical media, because it’s more of a “performance.”With digital it’s the opposite, but the
challenge there is trying too many things, not committing, and losing the focus
or point of the piece.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about
trying to become an illustrator?

Ok, I have a lot to say on that subject so here goes:).

a) Make sure you really love it because you won’t do good
work if you don’t.

b) Try to find the right balance of improving your skills,
which can mean learning from others have done or are doing, but without
sacrificing your own personal voice.

c) Try to identify some kind of artwork you like to do and
can do well that also has a place in
the market (so you can get paid for it and keep doing it).

d) Don’t undervalue your work, don’t work for free just to
get exposure – put a price on your work and have confidence that it is worth it
or will be some day.

e) Don’t worry too much about trying to develop a signature
“style” – as long as you are careful not to waste too much time trying to be
all things to all people, your style will emerge on its own (and this is the
only way it can emerge)

f) As you progress, don’t get too comfortable just doing the
same thing because it comes easily - at some point that will likely look dated
and will not be in demand.It’s much
better to keep growing than to try to reinvent yourself after being in a rut
for a really long time.

g) Illustration is a job,
a profession, and like all jobs a
big part of your success has to do with basic professionalism and work habits,
not just how much of a superstar artist you are. So don’t just focus on
developing the quality of your art - also think about how to deal with clients,
advertise, manage your schedule, track your time, network, and so on.You can still be a successful illustrator
even if you are not the world’s greatest picture maker, or if what you do isn’t
in the highest demand.There are lots of
opportunities for illustrators and the best fit for you may be something you
haven’t thought of or encountered yet.

h) I think some formal education is also a good idea, as
long as you are getting the right
education. Again, illustration is a profession, and learning the craft is not
just about finding and making your own art. I didn’t go to art school for
illustration and I think I really feel like I missed a lot, which I have been
and still am figuring out on my own. I did go to a vocational high school,
though, where I was taught what it means to actually work as a commercial
artist, to think of myself and conduct myself as a professional artist, and
that is really huge.

Do you have another job in addition to being an
illustrator?

No, though I still handle anything that comes up with my
game studio (Tilted Mill Entertainment www.tiltedmill.com).
We are still selling games and have games out there that need to be supported,
but I am a full time illustrator and have been so for six years now.I should reiterate that my experience running
companies and teams has proven really valuable for managing myself, my company
of one.

Author Bio

Chris' work has graced the
covers of classic books such as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels,
Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, and Oscar Wilde's The
Selfish Giant, in addition to games, packaging, magazines, posters, private
commissions and several other books.

Maurice’s Valises,
illustrated by Chris won the 2014 USA Best Book Award for Best Children’s
Picture Book (fiction), as well as the 2013 Moonbeam Gold Medal for Best
Picture Book Series, while Swamp Things, also illustrated by Chris won the 2013
Moonbeam Gold Medal for best Children’s Picture Book (ebooks).

Chris received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Massachusetts College of
Art in Boston, Massachusetts. He now lives in Natick, Massachusetts with his
wife and daughter.